6 ms·

Hoffice: work at someone's home

78 points by eloycoto 11y ago

kraftman 11y ago
Why is the guy on the right's laptop on fire?
- edem 11y ago
  It is an easter egg.
- balazsdavid987 11y ago
  Maybe he's working too hard on a hotfix ;-)
- paulrpotts 11y ago
  "I! Am! Sooo... (OWW!) damned... (OWWWW!) productive... (SHIT! AARUGH!!!)"
DanBC 11y ago
This is a great idea. It doesn't seem to mention tax or insurance - maybe I missed that - which are, unfortunately, pretty important.
- ccozan 11y ago
  I haven't notice on the website anything money related. How is this working, do the guests tip me at the end of the day? It is just for fun? Neat idea indeed, I have lots of places at my home, and sometimes I wish for a "colleague" , when I am working from there.
  - DanBC 11y ago
    In the UK: If I work from my home I need to consider the tax and insurance implications. I need to do the same when I invite other people to work from my home, even if no money changes hands. Domestic insurance tends not to include much in the way of public liability insurance. Since you're inviting people into your home it might be something to look at. http://www.confused.com/home-insurance/guides/home-insurance-for-home-based-workers http://www.confused.com/home-insurance/guides/home-insurance... http://www.intouchaccounting.com/resources/guides/working-from-home/ http://www.intouchaccounting.com/resources/guides/working-fr... http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/bimmanual/bim47825.htm http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/bimmanual/bim47825.htm
    - ccozan 11y ago
      This regulations deal with working from home for the home owner( or similar). Yes you can deduct some costs, because this benefit your company/work/etc. But if I am inviting you in my house, put a table at disposal, wifi, meals, etc, unless you pay for this, there is no legal implication. Not even insurance. That's why I was asking how much it costs. From the website it seems like a hobby and not a real business, like hosting people in house to work from there and be paid for this.
      - austinjp 11y ago
        (Not disagreeing, just pursuing this thought) There may be tax issues with hosting a Hoffice, even if you as a host don't charge anything. If a UK tax inspector walks into your private home, does it look like a private home? Or does it look like a business? If it looks like a business, they'll investigate you. "You mean to tell me, you don't know any of these people? And you simply let them use your facilities and wi-fi?" If I was a tax inspector, I'd be all over you. It would reek of tax evasion and money laundering. But why would the tax inspector even hear about it, right? Simple: your neighbours complain to the local council about all the cars parked on your front lawn. Then the council comes knocking on your door to ask if you've got permission to display that sign in your window. You may come out of an investigation clean, but the process will be horrible. It would be good to thoroughly understand your position as a Hoffice host in advance. I know people who run businesses from home that involve occasional visitors, and these are all legit concerns here in the UK. I also know people who've got away with it for years, taking cash-in-hand payments, and keeping the council and HMRC in the dark -- personally I haven't got the temperament for that sort of "excitement" in my life.
        ccozan 11y ago
        This is really a gray area. However, as long as there are no money involved, no tax inspector or law enforcement will have anything to say. Any tax would imply an income, or a profit. Impossible to tell where is my profit in this hoffice thing. Maybe having fun? Meditation in the morning? Ten years ago I went every Thursday to a friend and we were 10 people playing CS or whatever in a really nice lanparty. What is the difference now? Hey, Mr Inspector we do a codeparty ( hackaton would immediatelly trigger other responses from law enforcement ). As long as there is no noise, no disturbance of any kind ( maybe cars in fron door, but here we speak of highly urbanized areas ), I see no reason why any law enforcement would knock on my door.
  - Gounemond 11y ago
    I read through a page / event in my local zone, and someone talked just about free offer (including like, meal, offering a drink). So, nothing set in stone about fees right now
  - roel_v 11y ago
    Maybe they changed it in the last 30 mins, but on the first page it says "This means that it will never cost money to go to a Hoffice (you might though be asked to make a voluntary contribution for the use of consumables).".
- andreasfmwolf 11y ago
  A really interesting discussion here about the legal issues! I am regularily hosting Hoffices and am part of the group steering the Hoffice network and so far I've never heard of any of the problems you mentioned happening... Hoffice is completely based on gift and trust principles. This assumes that people who get invited into your home won't sue you afterwards, if some kind of accident happens. But this is of course not certain and a host might take a certain risk here. In terms of taxation I believe that there is no real threat, as one of the basic premises is that you host without charging money for it. It's a gift to all people participating. In return you get the a group feeling and motivation to work from your guests. Furthermore Hoffice includes a potluck lunch culture, where everybody contributes to a buffet. As home working as such is not taxed, I don't see why homeworking together should be.
egeozcan 11y ago
I'm moving near Frankfurt and I'll be fully working from home for the first time in my life. I was actually searching for a coworking space, this looks like a great alternative. The reason I'm looking for a coworking space is the social aspect anyway and this probably would be better in that regard. I'm looking forward to try.
- andreasfmwolf 11y ago
  Try to join here :) https://www.facebook.com/groups/hofficefrankfurt/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/hofficefrankfurt/ If there is no events going on right now, you might want to host one at your own home?!
lifeisstillgood 11y ago
It really seems to be genuine. I'm amazed. I suspect the tax and insurance situation will be complicated, added to which I'm not sure I want a bunch of local weirdos coming round my place. The social pressure to accept someone you don't like is going to be large - it's hard to say to someone whom you can probably bear in a social setting, no I could not stand 8 hours of your personality. Then it's easier to shut the group down than to have that conversation However I sort-of like the "state your days goals" thing - it is an attempt to be inclusive. My own experience is add a non judgemental / "these things take longer" but at the end - in a normal team structure I find daily reporting is counter productive because most worthwhile things take more than a day, and either folks get disheartened because they don't have something to say, get trapped by saying things are going better or further than they have, or simply don't try the good stuff and stick to smaller chunks. Personal bugbear there
zero-rated 11y ago
Love the idea, but it requires Facebook which disqualifies people like me who don't have an account.
josephpmay 11y ago
I imagine this may be illegal many places from a zoning perspective. At least in the US, most houses are in neighborhoods that are zoned strictly residential. There are usually exceptions for working from home, but I doubt those exceptions apply to a bunch of other people working in your home.
- ccozan 11y ago
  I don't think zoning applies to working from home. Is not like you open a front-door shop or some garage. Plus there is no money involved, there is nothing commercial.
  - roel_v 11y ago
    "I don't think zoning applies to working from home." Yes it does, and certainly when you let others into your house like these people are doing. And just as well - I wouldn't want the parking hassles of several additional cars if one my neighbors did something like this (well theoretically, because where I live right now I wouldn't have such issues - just saying that there are good reasons for zoning regulations about things like this).
    - ccozan 11y ago
      Ok you are right [0]. The only thing which might apply would be cars parked. [0] http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/38884 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/38884
  - DanBC 11y ago
    It doesn't matter if it's commercial! https://www.sba.gov/content/home-based-business-zoning-laws https://www.sba.gov/content/home-based-business-zoning-laws > Most zoning codes: > Restrict the numbers of visitors to a home-based business > Restrict the number of employees working in the home or prohibit employees altogether > Restrict business parking or require that additional parking be provided [...] > Restrict or prohibit nuisance impacts (e.g., noise, odors, glare) http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/68844 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/68844 > The fact is, unless you've taken the time to thoroughly investigate your city and county zoning regulations, you're leaving yourself wide open to the type of scenario mentioned above. Your business could be shut down before it even sees the light of day-or, worse, shut down when you're already in business.
Svenstaro 11y ago
Now how can I actually participate in a Hoffice? There is one in my city but the site only gives me a Facebook login wall.
- radoslawc 11y ago
  Exactly this was first "head scratching" moment for me. This looked as great idea at first, but as it was mentioned in other posts what about insurance, security, tax/zoning stuff. Not to mention this whole meditation thing, that might be great idea for some people, but I would just feel awkward. My idea was that this will create space to exchange ideas and work together maybe on same problems not Buddhist temple.
- andreasfmwolf 11y ago
  So far Hoffice is organised completely over facebook groups/pages, where everyone can host events and invite into his home. We considered to build an app to facilitate the event hosting and participating, but couldn't get enough volunteers to tackle this complex task.
perakojotgenije 11y ago
I don't understand the point of this. If you have a place to live then why would you go to someone else's home to work when you can do the same at your own place?
- DanBC 11y ago
  Some people enjoy the company of other people, but dislike their local coffee shops. Or people may feel a change of environment is important to them to help them switch into work-mode.
- austinjp 11y ago
  "Working" at your kitchen table in your pants, unshaved and unwashed, gets pretty thin for a lot of people. The desk-rental business is huge.
- rodgerd 11y ago
  I live on the city fringe. You live an hour out. You want to work from home, but you need to come in for a two meetings, one at the start of the day, one mid-afternoon. Wouldn't in be more convenient to have somewhere to work around that?
- andreasfmwolf 11y ago
  One of the key reasons is that we in Hoffice support each other to reach our days goals, by speaking out working goals in front of each other, facilitate a 45-15min pomodoro technique, share fun breaks together and thereby create a super-social work atmosphere. Hofficers get far more done that working alone from home and have normally also far more fun ;)
mbrock 11y ago
Regarding this: "Collect all people in a circle; you might want to start with a moment of mindfulness (try e.g. the app Insight Timer and chose one of the shorter guided meditations)." I meditate and even use that specific app, though only as a timer... and I still would never impose a guided meditation on visitors to my home who are there to work. It borders on religious proselytizing. "A good one to start a Hoffice day is e.g. 'Being Infinite'." I don't know anything about the content of that, but I have a hard time seeing how it would be appropriate for a secular, professional gettogether of strangers from different backgrounds. If I went to a Hoffice thing and the host put on a guided meditation about "being infinite," I would maybe join because sitting quietly for a while is nice... but I wouldn't come back. If I want to meditate on infinity, I'll go to a temple, or sit on my bench at home, thank you.
- rodgerd 11y ago
  Makes me wonder if they're tied up with one of the permutations of Landmark or The Forum or suchlike.
  - hoodoof 11y ago
    Scientology maybe? Or the Knights Templar?
- lectrick 11y ago
  Meditation is as secular as informally promoting Apple Macbooks. There's plenty of science to back up the advantages of meditation, which you are free to Google. It is no longer religious hokum.
  - tikhonj 11y ago
    And starting a professional gathering with a structured discussion of the benefits of Apple Macbooks also "borders on religious proselytizing". "Have you let Steve Jobs into your life?" The point is that the suggestion comes on too strong, with an analogy to religion, not that meditation and religion are inextricably connected.
  - 11y ago
austinjp 11y ago
Great idea, good luck with it. It's very similar to something I was toying with last year, but didn't get beyond the drawing board. The items that stopped me: 1. Cash-flow. I just couldn't make the numbers work. It didn't add up to a profitable business, and I didn't have the cash to plow into it on a whim -- nor did I want debt, or to go looking for an investor. Maybe your financial considerations were less stringent than mine. I had time, and no cash, so I was prepared to invest hard work... but like I say, I couldn't get the figures to work. 2. Security. This was a real issue -- I didn't get beyond the drawing-board though, perhaps in the Real World people are more trusting than I thought. How could I guarantee that my "guests" wouldn't wander into an unlocked "host" area and steal items? I couldn't. If I put safe-guards in place, I'd lose market appeal: my "guests" wouldn't want to give me strong guarantees of their honesty (Photocopies of passports? Large cash deposits? Nope, that would scare off customers, and give me further problems regarding data security etc.) And the "hosts" would always balk at my inability to provide a guarantee that nothing would get stolen. The corollary of security is insurance. Do Hoffice or your "hosts" need any sort of professional indemnity insurance? If someone trips on a loose carpet and breaks an ankle, they may sue -- but who? And how would that pan out? To be frank, item 2 was what really put my idea on ice. I think item 1 could be fiddled, particularly if a project such as Hoffice is slow-burn, low-income, and highly-automated (so you don't need to tend it manually). How did you deal with these issues, in particular the security/insurance aspects? Genuinely interested.
- roel_v 11y ago
  This seems to be more a hobby project. There is no money being asked for working somewhere, and from what I can tell they don't deal with 'what happens with bad guests' at all. It's more like couchsurfing.org or Craigslist - 'hey there are all these people who want to meet for some reason or another, we are just a messaging service, good luck afterwards'. Which is fine for some purposes of course, not dismissing the idea.
  - austinjp 11y ago
    Yup, looks that way.
  - 11y ago
reitanqild 11y ago
Personally I'm a bit more introvert and already in an open-floor-plan office about 100 minutes from home and sometimes look for a quiet room somewhere (think Airbnb but for work). Have searched the net and while I found some they were significantly more expensive than Airbnb to the point where I could just as well rent a place on Airbnb just for a long days work. I hope one day we can get a quiter version of this or an option in Airbnb to post and search for "quiet desks, no breakfast neeeded".
- DanielRibeiro 11y ago
  You mean, like Airbrb?[1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0MmNM0a_RU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0MmNM0a_RU
Dorian-Marie 11y ago
There is something similar in Berlin: http://www.meetup.com/Social-Pomodoro-Berlin/ http://www.meetup.com/Social-Pomodoro-Berlin/ (Inspired by Hoffice)
instakill 11y ago
Why is that guy's mac on fire?
daxfohl 11y ago
I just moved out of a retirement home that had a communal catered dining area. (Retirement home opened up to non-retirees a while back). (Had to move because family is growing too large for 900 sq ft). I actually loved that living situation other than the space constraints. I'd far prefer co-living in a place like that, especially if it had integrated daycare and larger living/working spaces, rather than just co-working at someone's house. Throw in a person that runs errands like picking up groceries and I'm sold. I don't know if something like that could ever take off in the US because everyone wants a big house and their own yard and privacy and driving everywhere. But it also seems like the work-from-home crowd is also seeking more simplicity, how nice it would be just to walk your kids down the hallway, not worry about food so much, so, maybe. I think I read Denmark has places like this, and it's also rated the "happiest" nation for whatever that's worth.
- andreasfmwolf 11y ago
  Some people take the Hoffice structure (speaking out working goals at the start of the day, 45-15min pomodoro technique, fun 15min break activities) and apply it to a normal co-working or co-living space. The concept is open source and everyone is free to play with it :)

78 points by eloycoto 11y ago

kraftman 11y ago

Why is the guy on the right's laptop on fire?

edem 11y ago
It is an easter egg.
balazsdavid987 11y ago
Maybe he's working too hard on a hotfix ;-)
paulrpotts 11y ago
"I! Am! Sooo... (OWW!) damned... (OWWWW!) productive... (SHIT! AARUGH!!!)"

DanBC 11y ago

This is a great idea. It doesn't seem to mention tax or insurance - maybe I missed that - which are, unfortunately, pretty important.

ccozan 11y ago
I haven't notice on the website anything money related. How is this working, do the guests tip me at the end of the day? It is just for fun? Neat idea indeed, I have lots of places at my home, and sometimes I wish for a "colleague" , when I am working from there.
- DanBC 11y ago
  In the UK: If I work from my home I need to consider the tax and insurance implications. I need to do the same when I invite other people to work from my home, even if no money changes hands. Domestic insurance tends not to include much in the way of public liability insurance. Since you're inviting people into your home it might be something to look at. http://www.confused.com/home-insurance/guides/home-insurance-for-home-based-workers http://www.confused.com/home-insurance/guides/home-insurance... http://www.intouchaccounting.com/resources/guides/working-from-home/ http://www.intouchaccounting.com/resources/guides/working-fr... http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/bimmanual/bim47825.htm http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/bimmanual/bim47825.htm
  - ccozan 11y ago
    This regulations deal with working from home for the home owner( or similar). Yes you can deduct some costs, because this benefit your company/work/etc. But if I am inviting you in my house, put a table at disposal, wifi, meals, etc, unless you pay for this, there is no legal implication. Not even insurance. That's why I was asking how much it costs. From the website it seems like a hobby and not a real business, like hosting people in house to work from there and be paid for this.
    - austinjp 11y ago
      (Not disagreeing, just pursuing this thought) There may be tax issues with hosting a Hoffice, even if you as a host don't charge anything. If a UK tax inspector walks into your private home, does it look like a private home? Or does it look like a business? If it looks like a business, they'll investigate you. "You mean to tell me, you don't know any of these people? And you simply let them use your facilities and wi-fi?" If I was a tax inspector, I'd be all over you. It would reek of tax evasion and money laundering. But why would the tax inspector even hear about it, right? Simple: your neighbours complain to the local council about all the cars parked on your front lawn. Then the council comes knocking on your door to ask if you've got permission to display that sign in your window. You may come out of an investigation clean, but the process will be horrible. It would be good to thoroughly understand your position as a Hoffice host in advance. I know people who run businesses from home that involve occasional visitors, and these are all legit concerns here in the UK. I also know people who've got away with it for years, taking cash-in-hand payments, and keeping the council and HMRC in the dark -- personally I haven't got the temperament for that sort of "excitement" in my life.
      - ccozan 11y ago
        This is really a gray area. However, as long as there are no money involved, no tax inspector or law enforcement will have anything to say. Any tax would imply an income, or a profit. Impossible to tell where is my profit in this hoffice thing. Maybe having fun? Meditation in the morning? Ten years ago I went every Thursday to a friend and we were 10 people playing CS or whatever in a really nice lanparty. What is the difference now? Hey, Mr Inspector we do a codeparty ( hackaton would immediatelly trigger other responses from law enforcement ). As long as there is no noise, no disturbance of any kind ( maybe cars in fron door, but here we speak of highly urbanized areas ), I see no reason why any law enforcement would knock on my door.
- Gounemond 11y ago
  I read through a page / event in my local zone, and someone talked just about free offer (including like, meal, offering a drink). So, nothing set in stone about fees right now
- roel_v 11y ago
  Maybe they changed it in the last 30 mins, but on the first page it says "This means that it will never cost money to go to a Hoffice (you might though be asked to make a voluntary contribution for the use of consumables).".
andreasfmwolf 11y ago
A really interesting discussion here about the legal issues! I am regularily hosting Hoffices and am part of the group steering the Hoffice network and so far I've never heard of any of the problems you mentioned happening... Hoffice is completely based on gift and trust principles. This assumes that people who get invited into your home won't sue you afterwards, if some kind of accident happens. But this is of course not certain and a host might take a certain risk here. In terms of taxation I believe that there is no real threat, as one of the basic premises is that you host without charging money for it. It's a gift to all people participating. In return you get the a group feeling and motivation to work from your guests. Furthermore Hoffice includes a potluck lunch culture, where everybody contributes to a buffet. As home working as such is not taxed, I don't see why homeworking together should be.

egeozcan 11y ago

I'm moving near Frankfurt and I'll be fully working from home for the first time in my life. I was actually searching for a coworking space, this looks like a great alternative. The reason I'm looking for a coworking space is the social aspect anyway and this probably would be better in that regard. I'm looking forward to try.

andreasfmwolf 11y ago
Try to join here :) https://www.facebook.com/groups/hofficefrankfurt/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/hofficefrankfurt/ If there is no events going on right now, you might want to host one at your own home?!

lifeisstillgood 11y ago

It really seems to be genuine. I'm amazed. I suspect the tax and insurance situation will be complicated, added to which I'm not sure I want a bunch of local weirdos coming round my place. The social pressure to accept someone you don't like is going to be large - it's hard to say to someone whom you can probably bear in a social setting, no I could not stand 8 hours of your personality. Then it's easier to shut the group down than to have that conversation However I sort-of like the "state your days goals" thing - it is an attempt to be inclusive. My own experience is add a non judgemental / "these things take longer" but at the end - in a normal team structure I find daily reporting is counter productive because most worthwhile things take more than a day, and either folks get disheartened because they don't have something to say, get trapped by saying things are going better or further than they have, or simply don't try the good stuff and stick to smaller chunks. Personal bugbear there

zero-rated 11y ago

Love the idea, but it requires Facebook which disqualifies people like me who don't have an account.

josephpmay 11y ago

I imagine this may be illegal many places from a zoning perspective. At least in the US, most houses are in neighborhoods that are zoned strictly residential. There are usually exceptions for working from home, but I doubt those exceptions apply to a bunch of other people working in your home.

ccozan 11y ago
I don't think zoning applies to working from home. Is not like you open a front-door shop or some garage. Plus there is no money involved, there is nothing commercial.
- roel_v 11y ago
  "I don't think zoning applies to working from home." Yes it does, and certainly when you let others into your house like these people are doing. And just as well - I wouldn't want the parking hassles of several additional cars if one my neighbors did something like this (well theoretically, because where I live right now I wouldn't have such issues - just saying that there are good reasons for zoning regulations about things like this).
  - ccozan 11y ago
    Ok you are right [0]. The only thing which might apply would be cars parked. [0] http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/38884 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/38884
- DanBC 11y ago
  It doesn't matter if it's commercial! https://www.sba.gov/content/home-based-business-zoning-laws https://www.sba.gov/content/home-based-business-zoning-laws > Most zoning codes: > Restrict the numbers of visitors to a home-based business > Restrict the number of employees working in the home or prohibit employees altogether > Restrict business parking or require that additional parking be provided [...] > Restrict or prohibit nuisance impacts (e.g., noise, odors, glare) http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/68844 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/68844 > The fact is, unless you've taken the time to thoroughly investigate your city and county zoning regulations, you're leaving yourself wide open to the type of scenario mentioned above. Your business could be shut down before it even sees the light of day-or, worse, shut down when you're already in business.

Svenstaro 11y ago

Now how can I actually participate in a Hoffice? There is one in my city but the site only gives me a Facebook login wall.

radoslawc 11y ago
Exactly this was first "head scratching" moment for me. This looked as great idea at first, but as it was mentioned in other posts what about insurance, security, tax/zoning stuff. Not to mention this whole meditation thing, that might be great idea for some people, but I would just feel awkward. My idea was that this will create space to exchange ideas and work together maybe on same problems not Buddhist temple.
andreasfmwolf 11y ago
So far Hoffice is organised completely over facebook groups/pages, where everyone can host events and invite into his home. We considered to build an app to facilitate the event hosting and participating, but couldn't get enough volunteers to tackle this complex task.

perakojotgenije 11y ago

I don't understand the point of this. If you have a place to live then why would you go to someone else's home to work when you can do the same at your own place?

DanBC 11y ago
Some people enjoy the company of other people, but dislike their local coffee shops. Or people may feel a change of environment is important to them to help them switch into work-mode.
austinjp 11y ago
"Working" at your kitchen table in your pants, unshaved and unwashed, gets pretty thin for a lot of people. The desk-rental business is huge.
rodgerd 11y ago
I live on the city fringe. You live an hour out. You want to work from home, but you need to come in for a two meetings, one at the start of the day, one mid-afternoon. Wouldn't in be more convenient to have somewhere to work around that?
andreasfmwolf 11y ago
One of the key reasons is that we in Hoffice support each other to reach our days goals, by speaking out working goals in front of each other, facilitate a 45-15min pomodoro technique, share fun breaks together and thereby create a super-social work atmosphere. Hofficers get far more done that working alone from home and have normally also far more fun ;)

mbrock 11y ago

Regarding this: "Collect all people in a circle; you might want to start with a moment of mindfulness (try e.g. the app Insight Timer and chose one of the shorter guided meditations)." I meditate and even use that specific app, though only as a timer... and I still would never impose a guided meditation on visitors to my home who are there to work. It borders on religious proselytizing. "A good one to start a Hoffice day is e.g. 'Being Infinite'." I don't know anything about the content of that, but I have a hard time seeing how it would be appropriate for a secular, professional gettogether of strangers from different backgrounds. If I went to a Hoffice thing and the host put on a guided meditation about "being infinite," I would maybe join because sitting quietly for a while is nice... but I wouldn't come back. If I want to meditate on infinity, I'll go to a temple, or sit on my bench at home, thank you.

rodgerd 11y ago
Makes me wonder if they're tied up with one of the permutations of Landmark or The Forum or suchlike.
- hoodoof 11y ago
  Scientology maybe? Or the Knights Templar?
lectrick 11y ago
Meditation is as secular as informally promoting Apple Macbooks. There's plenty of science to back up the advantages of meditation, which you are free to Google. It is no longer religious hokum.
- tikhonj 11y ago
  And starting a professional gathering with a structured discussion of the benefits of Apple Macbooks also "borders on religious proselytizing". "Have you let Steve Jobs into your life?" The point is that the suggestion comes on too strong, with an analogy to religion, not that meditation and religion are inextricably connected.
- 11y ago

austinjp 11y ago

Great idea, good luck with it. It's very similar to something I was toying with last year, but didn't get beyond the drawing board. The items that stopped me: 1. Cash-flow. I just couldn't make the numbers work. It didn't add up to a profitable business, and I didn't have the cash to plow into it on a whim -- nor did I want debt, or to go looking for an investor. Maybe your financial considerations were less stringent than mine. I had time, and no cash, so I was prepared to invest hard work... but like I say, I couldn't get the figures to work. 2. Security. This was a real issue -- I didn't get beyond the drawing-board though, perhaps in the Real World people are more trusting than I thought. How could I guarantee that my "guests" wouldn't wander into an unlocked "host" area and steal items? I couldn't. If I put safe-guards in place, I'd lose market appeal: my "guests" wouldn't want to give me strong guarantees of their honesty (Photocopies of passports? Large cash deposits? Nope, that would scare off customers, and give me further problems regarding data security etc.) And the "hosts" would always balk at my inability to provide a guarantee that nothing would get stolen. The corollary of security is insurance. Do Hoffice or your "hosts" need any sort of professional indemnity insurance? If someone trips on a loose carpet and breaks an ankle, they may sue -- but who? And how would that pan out? To be frank, item 2 was what really put my idea on ice. I think item 1 could be fiddled, particularly if a project such as Hoffice is slow-burn, low-income, and highly-automated (so you don't need to tend it manually). How did you deal with these issues, in particular the security/insurance aspects? Genuinely interested.

roel_v 11y ago
This seems to be more a hobby project. There is no money being asked for working somewhere, and from what I can tell they don't deal with 'what happens with bad guests' at all. It's more like couchsurfing.org or Craigslist - 'hey there are all these people who want to meet for some reason or another, we are just a messaging service, good luck afterwards'. Which is fine for some purposes of course, not dismissing the idea.
- austinjp 11y ago
  Yup, looks that way.
- 11y ago

reitanqild 11y ago

Personally I'm a bit more introvert and already in an open-floor-plan office about 100 minutes from home and sometimes look for a quiet room somewhere (think Airbnb but for work). Have searched the net and while I found some they were significantly more expensive than Airbnb to the point where I could just as well rent a place on Airbnb just for a long days work. I hope one day we can get a quiter version of this or an option in Airbnb to post and search for "quiet desks, no breakfast neeeded".

DanielRibeiro 11y ago
You mean, like Airbrb?[1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0MmNM0a_RU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0MmNM0a_RU

Dorian-Marie 11y ago

There is something similar in Berlin: http://www.meetup.com/Social-Pomodoro-Berlin/ http://www.meetup.com/Social-Pomodoro-Berlin/ (Inspired by Hoffice)

instakill 11y ago

Why is that guy's mac on fire?

daxfohl 11y ago

I just moved out of a retirement home that had a communal catered dining area. (Retirement home opened up to non-retirees a while back). (Had to move because family is growing too large for 900 sq ft). I actually loved that living situation other than the space constraints. I'd far prefer co-living in a place like that, especially if it had integrated daycare and larger living/working spaces, rather than just co-working at someone's house. Throw in a person that runs errands like picking up groceries and I'm sold. I don't know if something like that could ever take off in the US because everyone wants a big house and their own yard and privacy and driving everywhere. But it also seems like the work-from-home crowd is also seeking more simplicity, how nice it would be just to walk your kids down the hallway, not worry about food so much, so, maybe. I think I read Denmark has places like this, and it's also rated the "happiest" nation for whatever that's worth.

andreasfmwolf 11y ago
Some people take the Hoffice structure (speaking out working goals at the start of the day, 45-15min pomodoro technique, fun 15min break activities) and apply it to a normal co-working or co-living space. The concept is open source and everyone is free to play with it :)